Slight Drop in Unemployment Promising But No Reason to Cheer

Low-Income, Low-Skill Groups Projected to Continue to Face Astonishingly High Unemployments Rates for Prolonged Period

Following is a statement by Evelyn Ganzglass, director of workforce development at CLASP, regarding the Bureau of Labor Statistics January employment report.

"Today's unemployment report showed some glimmers of light, but also how far we have to go before a true recovery. The nation's overall unemployment rate declined by .3 percent and there was a significant drop in involuntary part-time employment. Unfortunately, long-term unemployment continued to rise and low-skill workers and minority workers continue to face very difficult challenges in the labor market. Projections are that these populations are likely to experience very high rates of unemployment for quite some time.

The Senate is expected to move next week on a jobs bill to put more people back to work. Any jobs bill should include targeted interventions that will address the unique needs of populations hit hardest by the jobs crisis."